Here are 10 American phrases that baffle the rest of the world...

[Michie]

American slang and idioms can liven up a conversation, but if English isn’t your native language, phrases like couch potato or white elephant can be easily misunderstood.
Puzzle hub im-a-puzzle.com recently analyzed Google searches for common American expressions and looked for spikes in various foreign countries. Based on this data, the following seem to be the most perplexing to those outside of the U.S.:

1. Over the Moon
The phrase, which expresses excitement, has roots in the 19th century, and may be related to the Mother Goose rhyme “Hey, Diddle, Diddle,” which features a cow hurling itself over the moon.

2. Devil’s Advocate
The Oxford English Dictionary traces this expression, which often means to deliberately champion a contrarian or unpopular opinion, to the 16th century. At that time, it was taken more literally, with lawyers brought in to argue against or challenge a person’s pending sainthood in the Catholic Church.

3. Bucket List
This phrase became more commonplace after the release of the 2006 film The Bucket List starring Jack Nicholson, which it featured two older men with terminal illnesses looking to fulfill their ambitions before kicking the bucket.

Continued below.

‘White Elephant’? 10 American Phrases That Baffle the Rest of the World

Call someone a couch potato outside the U.S. and you might be met with a blank stare.

www.mentalfloss.com

 

[Lady Bug]

The only phrase I didn't know about was white elephant. The other ones are second nature to me.

 

[Michie]

The only phrase I didn't know about was white elephant. The other ones are second nature to me.

I was familiar with the term through those silly white elephant gift exhanges.

 

[Susie~Q]

Interesting article. I am familiar with all of them, however, now that I am living in New Zealand, I have to watch what I say as it may be taken differently than what I really mean. Cultural differences are interesting, even if both speak the same language.

 

[WarriorAngel]

I always thought of white elephant as a sale. [Think second hand]

I wonder if that would be a good ad or no...? lol

 

[Bob Crowley]

I was familiar with all of them except "Dog days of summer".

It doesn't seem to be a familiar term here.

I think a couple of them are recent additions to local (Australian) vocabulary, most likely because of the influence of television eg. couch potato, bucket list (I only became aware of it when the movie "The Bucket List" came out), and "devil's advocate" isn't used that I'm aware of, but it got air time due to the movie of the same name.

I then became aware that it also referred to the role of those seeking negative information about a potential saint during the canonisation process ie. they sort of took on the devil's role to stop a saint being created.

"White elephant" is a term I've known about for years - I've bought a few from time to time!

It is sometimes used when governments waste money on unnecessary projects.

 

[WarriorAngel]

I was familiar with all of them except "Dog days of summer".

It doesn't seem to be a familiar term here.

I think a couple of them are recent additions to local (Australian) vocabulary, most likely because of the influence of television eg. couch potato, bucket list (I only became aware of it when the movie "The Bucket List" came out), and "devil's advocate" isn't used that I'm aware of, but it got air time due to the movie of the same name.

I then became aware that it also referred to the role of those seeking negative information about a potential saint during the canonisation process ie. they sort of took on the devil's role to stop a saint being created.

"White elephant" is a term I've known about for years - I've bought a few from time to time!

It is sometimes used when governments waste money on unnecessary projects.

The devil's advocate against a Saint is "Well, here's the down side to what they have done..." and it's not a stopper, but an ingredient to know.
Also ppl use the term in GT [sometimes OBOB] frequently here in CF.
It's really to mean I'm opposing you BUT I am doing it to bring in a deeper discussion... etc and what not.
Kind of like - here's what our opposition says and so I am putting it here, now tell me. Iron against iron.


THe white elephant is worse than the pink one, I'll grant ya.

 

[QvQ]

"The Devil's Advocate" was a book written in 1958 by an Australian Morris West.
The phrase may have been in use before that time because I, as an American, also understand it in a different sense.

 

[Bob Crowley]

In those far off days, Morris West was possibly the closest thing we (Australians) had to an intellectual novelist, although perhaps I should include Nevil Shute, Patrick White, Frank Hardy, and the poet Judith Wright.

He wrotes a series of books based on the Vatican in one way or another. He also regarded himself as a committed Catholic.

Morris West - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

West and Elizabeth Harvey divorced, and West then married Joyce "Joy" Lawford. Since his first wife, Elizabeth, was still alive when he married Joy, he struggled for a church annulment of his first marriage. He was out of communion with the Roman Catholic Church for many years because of this marital situation, and he had significant issues with the church's teachings. However, he never considered himself as anything other than a committed Catholic. Joy West said that he was a believer who attended Mass every Sunday.